


Some demons aren't that bad.

by orphan_account



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine, Cuphead (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Demons, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-03-13 17:06:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 13,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13575078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: (I'm bad at summaries, so all I'm going to say is that this story is a redo. It's better if I don't say anything, so I won't spoil anything besides the obvious.)





	1. Demon Deals part one: Rumors and hearsays.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!
> 
> ...
> 
> This is back...
> 
> But it's completely different!
> 
> Just read it, and see for yourselves.

It's been a few months since Cuphead lost his soul to the devil, and went to hell. Wandering around the maze of torture, like many of the lost souls down there, unable to find an exit. Slowly started to lose hope of ever getting out of the fiery depths.

Many succumbed to the eternal agony, but others kept fighting and searching. Cuphead was part of the fighting group, but he was starting to give up. Until he overhead two lost souls conversion.

_“I swear to you, I almost got it figured out!”_

_“Oh, you always say that, and yet, we're still here!”_

Cuphead want to stop what he was doing and listen in, but he didn't want them noticing. He pretended to not be listening, but he kept his invisible ear open.

_“Look, I was wrong the last few times, but this time I got it! I heard a juicy rumor that there's actually a demon who knows their way around, and even knows how to get out of hell!”_

_“Really? Well, tell me!”_

_"Yeah, tell us,"_ Cuphead thought to himself, and glanced over at the two.

_“Well, apparently this demon use to be the ruler-”_

_“OH I CALL BULL-”_

_“Now hang on. Listen for a second. This demon USED to be the ruler of hell. I heard they were challenged for the throne, and lost. Anyways, this demon had been hiding ever since then, but I bet ya anything that he wants they want their previous position back.”_

_“Hold on though. If this demon knows how to get out of this place, why would he be hanging around?”_

_“Outside of hell is the casino. The casino is where the winner, the current ruler, is.”_

_"They must mean the Devil."_ Cuphead glanced at the two again.

_“Basically, you're saying…”_

_“I'm saying that this demon might not be able to defeat him. Might not let us even go to the surface. However, I got a plan.”_

Luckily, Cuphead didn't have to listen to the plan to know where they're getting at. And, unlike them, he could actually do whatever was required.

_“That's a great plan and all, but where can we find this demon?”_

_“I don't know, but I've overheard that the charon knows EXACTLY where they is!”_

_“And where are they?”_

_“By the rivers Styx and Acheron of course!”_

_“And where is that?”_

_“Umm…”_

_"No one knows where that is… Except…"_ Cuphead ran to see if could find a map that he found once.

_**____________________** _

“I'm surprised a map even existed down here.” Cuphead rolled up the map, and put it back where he found it. He wanted to take it with him, but he figured others might need it.

He turned around, and walked towards the general direction that the map pointed towards. He hoped he doesn't get lost, like he normally does, without it.

Besides, he wasn't that good at map-reading like Mugman was…

“...”

Cuphead's mind drifted off to the time he was dragged under…

 _ **____________________**_  

The brothers had triumphed over the demon, forcing him to give up.

“We shall accept your surrender, Devil,” Cuphead laughed. “But we're not done just yet!”

And with that, Cuphead and Mugman destroyed all of the soul contacts, releasing Inkwell Isle’s residents from eternal servitude to the Devil.

“Gosh, I can't wait to tell everyone!” Cuphead said. The boys set off for home, and at top speed. 

“C’mon, last one there's a leaky cup!” Mugman teased as they ran. 

But before they could leave the Devil's throne room, a gate, that appeared out of nowhere, blocked the exit.

“What the heck!” Cuphead turned around, and saw the Devil laughing.

**“DID YOU THINK I WOULD REALLY SURRENDER TO THE LIKES OF YOU?”**

With his unbroken arm, the Devil snapped his fingers, and a hole filled with fire appeared. The fire had turned into some sort of hand, grabbed Cuphead's left leg, and dragged him to the fiery hole.

“Cups!” Mugman lunged towards Cuphead, grabbed his arm, and started pulling him away from the hell pit. The hands pulled harder, dragging both Cuphead and Mugman to the hollow ground. Cuphead had realized this, and tried to struggle out of the inferno limbs grasp, or out of Mugman’s.

“Muggsy! Let go!” Cuphead shouted. 

Mugman's eyes went wide,“But you'll-”

“You will as well if you don't let go!” Cuphead argued. He prayed to what superior force existed that Mugman would let go.

“No! We're going to get out alive! Together!” Mugman pulled harder, causing the hand to pull harder, causing Cuphead to yell in pain. 

The Devil laughed at what was happening. Mugman realized what pain he was causing his older brother when he saw tears running down his face. He stopped pulling as hard, but the hand was still pulling, and the next thing the both of them knew, Cuphead was halfway through the hole.

“Mugs, just let go.” Cuphead gave Mugman a warm, kind smile. “I promised to come home before dinner.”

Mugman hesitated, then nodded, then he let go of Cuphead, and watched him sink completely into the hole.

 _ **____________________**_  

Cuphead nearly cried as he thought of those times. He promised be back soon, but he was still here. Still in this place that the sinners were sent. 

The smell of blood and rotting, burning flesh brought him back to reality. He finds himself next to a red river, and a boat on the river, next to a small hut.

“Guess I found their location.” Cuphead walked over to the hut. “Judging by the boat, he might be in there.”

When Cuphead got close enough, he knocked on the rotted door of the small shelter. Suddenly, the door was opened by a bit, and a cloaked figure slightly poked their hooded head out.

 _ **“What do you want?”**_ The wording was quite rude, but their tone was polite by quite a bit.

“Are you the charon?” Cuphead asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

**_“Why, of course. Why do you ask?”_ **

“I need to find a demon who was apparently the ruler of hell before the other guy.” Cuphead wasn't sure what to call the Devil. “Thing is, I need to get out of here as soon as possible, and this demon is the only one who knows how to get out of here.” 

The charon was quite for a bit before letting out a trying-not-to-laugh kind of snort, _**“What made you think they would help someone like you?”**_

“Because…” Cuphead took a moment to reply. “Because I'm much stronger than I look! I was able to defeat the Devil, I even broken some of his bones, but then he pulled something funny! I'm only down here because of his stupid tricks!”

If there was any signs of disinterest on the charon, they would have disappeared as soon as Cuphead mentioned defeating the Devil. Perhaps the porcelain faced character might have more potential then he thought.

 ** _“Defeated the Devil you say?”_ ** The charon grinned, but it was unable to be seen. **_“Care to elaborate? I'm sure the demon you're looking for would be pleased to hear this story.”_**

Filled with pride, Cuphead told the charon about the battle against the Devil. He tended to exaggerate here and there, but it was to a point to where the story was still believable. Then again, this is the kind of world where a bird's head can turn into a trash can, and a mermaid that turned into Medusa was decapitated, but was still alive. 

The charon listen closely, but there was one thing he didn't get. ** _“As much as I'm enjoying this delightful story, I have a small question that's bugging me.”_** The charon sounded slightly confused.

“Alright.” Cuphead directed his attention back to the charon. “Ask away.”

**_“I noticed that you kept using the word 'shoot’ as if you had a range weapon are something. Did you have a gun, or is there something I'm not getting at here?”_ **

Cuphead felt a bit awkward, he hated explaining things, “It be easier if I could show ya…” 

He pointed at a nearby stalactite with his index, his thumb high above it to form a gun-like shape. A blue aura surrounded his hand, shining brightly on his finger that was pointed outwards. 

He pulled his hand back, sending it into a snapping position. With a sudden loud crack, his threw his hand downwards, firing a blue bullet of energy from his fingers, for he brought them back to a finger gun position.

The blue bullet hit the stalactite, causing it to fall to the ground. Upon impact, the ground started to shake for a bit, and the sharp ceiling rock created a baseball size hole with cracks around the hole’s perimeter.

The charon let out a slight laugh, **_“I'm impressed. That's quite the ability, if I say so myself.”_** They laughed again. **_“In fact, I'd say you're actually worthy of meeting the demon you're looking for.”_**

“Really?” Cuphead asked. “Alright! So, where can I find them?”

 ** _“In here.”_ ** The charon opened the door. **_“Come inside. You'll see 'em when you come in.”_**

Cuphead entered the one-room house, and looked around. It was filled with necessities like a bed and stuff like that.

However, Cuphead couldn't name them all before the door closed. Now, it was dark. There was no source of light, so Cuphead was alone in the dark, and he was sure the charon didn't follow him inside.

Suddenly, before Cuphead's eyes could get use to the dark, a blue light could be seen in the far left corner...


	2. Demon Deals part two: Contracts and Blue Flames

...The blue light was small, like the light that shines from a flame on a candle. It's sudden appearance, and mysterious color caught Cuphead's undivided attention.

The porcelain headed boy looked over at the source of illumination. There, on a nightstand, was a candle lit with a blue flame. Cuphead found himself allured by the tiny, mysterious fire, and walked closer to it.

“Blue fire…” Cuphead was hypnotized by the tiny inferno's swaying dance, like it was listening to music that he couldn't hear. “I never thought I would see something like this… Sure, I live in a world where flowers use themselves as machine guns, but dang…”

Cuphead reached out to feel the flame’s warmth, but something, or someone, smacked his hand away from it.

“Ow!” Cuphead yelped, pulling his hand back. “What…? Who…?”

**_“Were you never taught to NOT touch things without permission?”_ **

Cuphead recognized that voice, “Charon?”

 **_“Close…”_ ** An unfamiliar hand reached for the candle stand, and dragged it away from Cuphead, revealing a new face across the barrier between them, its height no taller than their hips. **_“...But no cigar~”_ **

Cuphead froze as he looked at the demon in front of him. They were completely black, except for an area on their face that was a mix between beige and white. On that area was the demon’s huge grin and pie cut pupils for eyes. The hand that grabbed the candle was covered by a glove that had two black buttons

However, what freaked Cuphead out the most the fact that the demon was dripping a black liquid that was the same color as them, which made it look like they was melting.

The “charon” sensed Cuphead's shock, and chuckled quietly,   **_“Surprised to see someone under that dingy cloak? I'm not. I wouldn't be the guy caught dead in it.”_ **

“Wha- What are you talking about?” Cuphead asked.

They laughed again, **_“That's not important right now. First things first, the introduction.”_ ** They held out their hand towards Cuphead. **_“The name’s Bendy. And you are?”_ **

Cuphead took Bendy's hand and shook it, “Cuphead. Pleased to meet ya Bendy.”

Bendy grinned, wider because he was already grinning, **_“The pleasure is mine~ Especially since those abilities you have will be useful.”_ **

Cuphead let go of Bendy's hand, and had a nervous smile on his face. The melting demon was making him slightly uncomfortable.

He cleared his throat, “Yeah… Useful… Useful abilities.”

The oozing character took notice of this and reared his head back a bit. In a concerned tone, he spoke again. **_“There is slight hesitation in your voice… I don't like that.”_ **

Bendy purred, a slight hiss filled the air as he spoke.

“Wha-”

**_“You do know what I'm capable of, yes?_ **

Cuphead slowly nodded, “Y-yeah! Of course I do!”

**_“And you've come to me for this reason?”_ **

The liquid holding male nodded again, this time a bit faster than the last. He wasn't sure what this oozy creature was getting at, but he needed help. He needed to go back.

 **_“Well, I'm willing to help.”_ ** Bendy chuckled. **_“For a price.”_ **

_"Knew it. Demons always want something in return,"_ Cuphead thought to himself.

“Alright, I'm listening.” Cuphead rested his arm on the table. “Want do you want?” He had a feeling he already knew what Bendy wanted, but he asked anyways.

 **_“Why it's real simple~”_ ** A slight tease could be heard in Bendy's voice. **_“Hell is full of_ ** **_powerful_ ** **_demons that are_ ** **_quite_ ** **_hostile, and the, quote on quote, Devil is at the end of all this. All I'm asking is that you help take care of the nasty little imps, and I'll get you out of this fiery pit. Do we have a deal?”_ **

Bendy pulled out a contract, put it on the table in front of Cuphead. The line where Cuphead had to sign his name was tempting him.

With no hesitation, Cuphead picked up a pen that was lying on the table, though he was sure it wasn't there before. He didn't question it and proceeded to write his name on the dotted line.

Bendy stole the paper from the soulless boy, crushing it and smiling wide, his mouth reaching to the point where the corners met his horns. As he did so, the contract lit up in flames.

Cuphead was startled by this and watched as the paper turned to ash. The demon opened his palm and it was as if a he summoned an updraft, for the pieces flew up and vanished.

The porcelain headed boy watched, turning his gaze back to Bendy, who was now back to a normal smile.

 **_“Don't worry. I didn't destroy it,”_ ** Bendy said. **_“I merely put it somewhere safe.”_ **

Bendy wiped off any remaining ashes on his hand, and made eye contact with Cuphead, who was still in shock by that little trick.

“Wha-... How… Where…”

 **_“You don't need to worry about that.”_ ** Bendy moved his way around the wooden barrier towards the dark. He grabs something that was hanging up on the wall as and drapes it over his body.

Cuphead recognized what Bendy put on, “I thought you said you didn't want to be caught dead in that thing.”

 **_“That won't matter now.”_ ** Bendy pulled the hood up. **_“Besides… I would rather not have anyone seeing me in this pathetic state.”_ **

Bendy opened the door, and walked outside. Cuphead, after a slight moment of hesitation, quickly exited the hut as well. However, he didn't see the oozing demon.

Until he saw him on the boat.

 **_“What are you waiting for? You want to get out of here, don't you?”_ ** Bendy was tapping his foot.

Cuphead didn't answer. Instead, he just climbed into the boat. Took him a while though, due to how big the boat was.

Finally, after getting their way of transportation up and running, they set off on their journey to the surface.

**_“Just to let you know, it might take a while for that ink to come out of your glove.”_ **

Cuphead was confused at Bendy's statement, until he looked at the hand that he used to shake the demon's hand, and saw that the part of the glove that covered the inside of his hand was stained.

The porcelain headed boy just sighed.

What a way to start an adventure.


	3. Red River Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I say that every writer's dream is to get fan art of their work?
> 
> Just... throwing that out there...
> 
> Totally... not asking for fan art...

Cuphead tried not to get nauseous due to the rocking boat. He was pretty sure the waters weren't this rough when he and Bendy set off, and that the scarlet river was still.

That's what was bothering Bendy. He kept pacing around the boat, and looking into the water, as if he was looking for something.

After a few minutes of searching, Bendy sighed in defeat, and sat down on a seat across from Cuphead. There was a moment of silence before the porcelain headed boy broke it.

“So…” Cuphead wasn't good at small talk. “Where were you from? Before you came to hell.”

Bendy was quiet for a bit, like he was thinking about what to say, but he replied with was,  **_“That's not important.”_ **

He looked towards the blood red waters. Cuphead watched as he did so, noticing the inky character’s smile turn into a slight frown. He wasn't sure how to respond to this. He didn't let it get to him.

“... I have a brother.” Cuphead began, looking out as well. “He's younger than me. Sweet guy.”

Bendy side eyed Cuphead, not sure how to give back a response to such a sudden topic of conversation. So, he decided to listen.

“We used to cause so much trouble together. We fought soulless power freaks, gambled our souls for money… well, I did that without thinking… but, it was all too amazing. And just… experiencing that with Mugman was all I could ask for.” The servant continued, laughing a little.

The inky demon looked back out. He didn't know where this was going. Cuphead was a mysterious red boy who suddenly came to him in hopes of returning home. He knew very little about him and yet, it was like he knew so much.

**_“... There's something you're trying to get at here. What is your point?”_ ** Bendy asked, somewhat harshly.

“My point? Oh, there's no point. I'm just starting a conversation to pass the time and get my mind off of this… feeling.” Cuphead held back an urp and sighed.

**_“Right… look, you're nice and all but your voice is only making it harder to figure out why these calm waters are this agitated.”_ ** Bendy looked at his servant and give him a slight glare.

Cuphead reared back, catching his master's gaze quickly. He never know Bendy could get this annoyed, but then again, he didn't know Bendy at all. They had only just met recently. It would take some time to get to know the ink demon.

Suddenly, Something hit the boat, causing it to majorly tilt and nearly causing Cuphead to fall off.

“Whoa!” Cuphead grabbed whatever he could get his hands on to prevent himself from falling out of the boat.

When the boat straighten itself out, Bendy got up and looked into the crimson river. His face that was filled of confusion turned into one of realization when he saw what hit them.

**_“Hope your abilities are as useful as you make them out to be, because this is going to get rough!”_ **

Something hit the boat again, causing it to tilt again. Bendy ran over to a steering wheel, that Cuphead was sure that it wasn't there before, and spun it to where the boat was straight again.

**_“You focus on fighting,”_ ** Bendy commanded.  **_“I'll make sure neither of us go overboard!”_ **

A huge splash of water could be heard at the front of the boat. A giant wine red squid with a black cape, and small purple bat wings on its head appeared for the water.

Cuphead pulled up his pants as music started played in his head, along with a fake announcer saying his usual lines. The words 'wallop’ flashed in his mind as started to shoot at the squid.

The squid wasted no time, and attacked. It lifted a tentacle, and used it to shoot bullet shaped ink shots. It only shot three of them.

Cuphead dodged the first two, but got hit square in the face by the last one. It didn't cause any damage, but he got blinded due to some ink getting in his eyes.

The squid used this to his advantage, and sent a pink tentacle to smash the porcelain headed boy into pieces.

It was by pure luck that Cuphead was able to get the ink out of his eye, see the tentacle, and parry it with his straw hand before the tentacle could hit him or the boat.

The parried tentacle hit the squid in the face, causing a unrealistic bump to form on its forehead.

Cuphead kept shooting at the squid. He ran up to the squid, and his blue bullets turn into red, scattering arrows.

The squid got furious. It used two tentacles to splash in the water, causing the boat to get hit by brutal waves, and skeleton piranhas to get in.

Some of the piranhas just flopped onto the deck, others were able to latch their jaw on Cuphead. The porcelain headed boy ignored the pain, and kept shooting the squid. His shots became blue again.

The squid was upset that it’s plan didn't work. It pulled it's head wings with two tentacles. With two other tentacles, it started shooting ink again. It kept splashing with the tentacles underwater, but it was faster than before.

**_“If this keeps up, we'll be going under before we know it!”_ ** Bendy couldn't keep the boat straight anymore.  **_“Can't you kill that thing any faster?”_ **

“I'm trying!” Cuphead kept shooting at the squid. He wasn't sure if he was even close to defeating it or not.

The squid sent two pink tentacles that would have puncture the boat if Cuphead hadn't parried them. This was getting ridiculous, and he was getting sick of it.

“Alright, Buster! I had enough of ya!” Cuphead jumped into the air, turn sideways, and started to spin rapidly, causing the liquid in his head to shoot out like a huge lazer.

The squid took massive amounts of damage from that hit, and was down for the count. It slowly started to melt into a red liquid, that was the same color as the water, and disappeared.

“Yeah! Knockout!” Cuphead strikes his usual victory pose, but stopped when nausea hit him hard. He had to sit down in order to keep himself from regurgitating.

Bendy got out from behind the steering wheel, and sat down across from Cuphead. From the looks of the ink demon's face, he was tired.

**_“I'll admit it, kid. You sure are stronger than ya look.”_ ** Bendy was panting as he spoke.

“Don't know why you're out of breath,” Cuphead complained. “You weren't the one fighting.”

Bendy glared at him,  **_“It would be wiser to thank your master for keeping you onboard.”_ **

“Wait! What?” Cuphead was confused. “When was this ‘master/servant’ a thing here?”

**_“Ever since you signed the contract…”_ ** Bendy pull a pink heart surrounded by a light-blue shield.  **_“...and gave your soul to me.”_ **

Bendy put the soul up,  **_“Now then. Can I get a 'thank you’?”_ **

Cuphead was silent for a bit. He needed to stop selling his soul to people.

Bendy got impatient,  **_“I said,_ ** **_CAN I GET A 'THANK YOU’?_ ** **_”_ **

“Uh-” Cuphead had to swallow his pride…”T-thank you…”

**_“See~ That wasn't so difficult~”_ ** Bendy teased.

There was a few moments of silence. The water was calm, and all was quiet. One would forget they were in hell at that moment.

Until Cuphead looked into the water, “Shouldn't we get going? I don't want anything attacking us again.”

Bendy sighed,  **_“Let's take five. Nothing's going to attack us. Trust me.”_ **

“Alright…” Cuphead was disappointed that he wouldn't get to go home as soon as possible.

…

**_“The narrator said master and servant at the beginning of this chapter.”_ **

“The what now?”

**_“Nothing. Forget that I said anything.”_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this a little rushed? Just asking.
> 
> Also, before y'all say anything...
> 
> BENDY BROKE THE FOURTH WALL!


	4. Guilty...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might be a sad chapter.

_“... I'll be home before dinner.”_

Mugman thought on this as he threw away another moldy meal left out for dinner awhile back. He sighed and close the trash can so the smell of decayed food wouldn't fill the house.

 _'Great. Another waste of food,’_ Mugman thought as he sat down on the couch. He grabbed a nearby picture that was on the coffee table. It was a picture of him and his older brother chasing a yellow and white butterfly.

“Still missing him, Sonny?”

Mugman looked over to see Elder Kettle at the doorway. The old man's face filled with sorrow.

“Yeah… It's just not the same without him around…”

Elder Kettle nodded, “Yes… Things have been more… slow ever since…”

“Yeah, I know…”

Mugman and Elder Kettle sat in uncomfortable silence. Everything has been different ever since Cuphead had been dragged under. Even the ex-debtors been upset by this.

**______________________ **

Once  ~~they~~ he got home, ~~The brothers~~ Mugman gathered everyone together.

“You're free from the devil's debt!” ~~Cuphead announced~~  “And that fiend won't bother us again!” Mugman ~~added~~ announced.

Elder Kettle was literally beaming with pride as everyone began to cheer: “Let's hear it for Cuphead and Mugman!” “Hip-hip-hurrah!” “Hip-hip-hurrah!”

“Wait a minute! Where is Cuphead?” 

Everyone was confused by this question, until they saw that Cuphead wasn't there. Everyone started to panic, and search in places that Cuphead couldn't possibly be at, like any small holes, or under rocks.

“Arrg! Where that Cup boy be?”

“Did I scare him off? I didn't know he was scared of clowns!”

“Perhaps I could find him with my third eye!”

“How about I make him reappear?!”

Elder Kettle got on the stage, and walked over to Mugman.

“Mugman. Where is your brother?”

Before the porcelain headed boy could answer, he fell to knees, and started crying.

“Cuphead's… gone!”

**______________________ **

Mugman had nearly cried when he had that flashback. He remembered everyone's confusion and shock when he claimed Cuphead was gone.

He remembered the aura of depression that filled the area, and that they actually had a funeral for the fallen hero. ~~It was like he died or something~~ ~~.~~

Mugman had gone through three of five stages of grief. First, he actually thought Cuphead would actually come home, he should probably get rid of all those leftovers, then he lashed out at everyone who even talked about Cuphead, he should probably apologize to them, then he thought about what he could do to keep Cuphead around, he regretted letting him go.

Right now, he was going through depression. He wasn't able to get himself to do much. Even throwing away that one old meal felt like a chore to him.

Mugman snapped out of this thought process when he felt the couch shift. He looked over to see that Elder Kettle had sat down next to him.

“Mugman, I know this is hard for you. It's hard for all of us. However, you need to stop saving whatever’s left. He…” Kettle took a deep breath. “I don't he's going to come back. Hell is inescapable, and no one has ever gotten out.”

“HE PROMISED HE WOULD COME HOME! HE PROMISED!”

Elder Kettle flinched at Mugman's sudden outburst, but he wasn't surprised, just caught off guard. He side hugged the poor boy, and did his best to comfort him.

“He… He promised…”

“There there. It'll be alright, I promised.” Elder Kettle rubbed Mugman's back. “Perhaps it'll do you some good if you go outside. Maybe you should talk to the friends you made. That might help.”

“A-alright…” Mugman got up from the couch, and walked out.

Truth is, Mugman wasn't planning on being out so long. He was going to see some people in Isle one, maybe go see Cala Maria in Isle three, and that's it.

However, he ended up see everyone he and his brother battled.

The Root Pack tried to make him better by trying to distract him. Moe Tato told some funny stories, that caused Weepy to cry for some reason. Psycarrot was trying to use his psychic powers to tell Mugman's future, but what he saw was quite strange.

Goopy Le Grande tried to show a unbothered facade, but he had a sad smile on him. He admitted that he missed Cuphead because he hadn't fought against anyone so strong in a while, and that he enjoyed the challenge and the boy’s company.

Hilda Berg wasn't wearing her usual red dress because it reminded her of Cuphead. Instead, she wore a purple one. They decided to have a race in the sky. Hilda turned into a blimp, and Mugman got his airplane.

Ribby and Croaks weren't in their usual fighting mode, so they were willing to talk. They had many action filled stories, and they admitted that Cuphead was the first person they ever lost to.

Cagney Carnation let Mugman water the flowers in his garden. He complained that Cuphead usually trampled the flowers, but he missed him none of the less.

Beppi The Clown tried to crack some jokes, but he burst into tear due to the fact he couldn't think of anything, and any jokes he thought of were jokes he already told to Cuphead.

Baronesses Von Bon Bon had gave Mugman some chocolate, claiming that it might help him get past the grief. Then she admitted that fighting Cuphead was the most exciting thing that could have happened ever since she got stuck being in charge of the Candyland.

Djimmy The Great had tried to do some magic tricks, but they failed, according to him. Then he confessed that he was trying to make Cuphead reappear, for the sake of everyone of Inkwell.

Wally Warblers wanted to help, but he couldn't get out of his bird house. Then he started to cry when he remembered that he fought Cuphead while he was stuck in his house. Wally's son came out, by some unknown force because his dad was blocking all exits, and gave Mugman a gift. The gift was a quill that was a beautiful diamond blue.

Rumor Honeybottoms gave Mugman some honey. All the bees seemed sad, but their queen seemed worse off. She explained that when the honey wasn't selling as much as it use to, they looked through their selling history, and saw that Cuphead had bought the majority of their honey, and they were sad that they lost a loyal customer. Mugman had no idea his brother liked honey.

Werner Werman was quite blunt. He didn't dance around it, and admitted that he missed Cuphead, and he sung a goodbye song in German. Mugman will admit that the soldier mouse had a good voice, and could carry a tune.

Dr. Khal had built a robot version of Cuphead so Mugman would have some company. Before he could finish his tear-jerking speech, the robot malfunction and the crazy doctor collapsed into the feeble position, and silently cried.

Grim Matchstick tried to be the careless dragon he's suppose to be, but he started bawling, all three heads. He and Mugman had a crybaby fest.

Sally Stageplay didn't have any plays scheduled because she couldn't think of anything. She complained that Cuphead had ruined her play, and cause everything to spiral. But then she realized that she had fun improving and the audience loved the play. She started to cry dramatically, but she was being sincere.

Captain Brineybeard was going to find a treasure that could bring people back to life. Mugman didn't need to ask what the pirate was going to use it for. However, the captain didn't have enough crew members, so he asked the porcelain headed if he wanted to join. Mugman declined the offer because he didn't want to leave Inkwell Isle for who knows how long, despite the sad aura that surrounded the island.

Cala Maria didn't bring up Cuphead, and decided to sing a few songs to make Mugman feel better, even if it's for a few moments. Mugman started to dance to her songs, and she was surprised that he had some nice moves.

The Phantom Express let Mugman on for a roundabout ride. However, they had to drop him off before the final destination because he wasn't dead. The crew wished they could go to hell so they could find Cuphead, and take him back to the surface, but they weren't allowed to take souls out of the afterlife.

Mugman admitted he had a fun day, and he appreciate everyone's efforts to make him feel better. He had a small, satisfied smile on him.

He looked at the ground to see if he could find any stray flowers he could pick, he liked to do that, but then his smile faded when he saw his shadow.

There was nothing unusual about it, except that, for a second, Mugman thought he saw Cuphead.

Then, a wave of sadness hit him, hard. He collapsed to the ground and started to cry.

He felt guilty. Guilty about failing to stop his brother from betting their soul. Guilty about not helping his brother collect the contracts. Guilty about letting Cuphead go.

Guilty about walking on the earth that his brother was under...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TISSUES! TISSUES FOR SALE! ANYBODY NEED SOME TISSUES? I GOT MULTIPLE BRANDS!


	5. Grimmy Gate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love some feedback guys. I can handle constructive criticism.

The sound of wood meeting land was music to Cuphead's ears. That sound meant he was so much closer to getting to the surface. So close to going home. So close to returning to his family.

A splash of water came from the side of the boat. Bendy had thrown an anchor, that Cuphead was one hundred percent sure wasn't there before, into the water.

**_“Alright. Here we are. The other side of the river.”_ ** Bendy tied the rope that was attached to the anchor to the boat.  **_“Honestly, most people can't tell until they see the rusted gate.”_ **

“What ga...te…” He found it.

The gate was a few feet in front of them. It was rusted, but not with normal rust. It was decorated with skulls and bones that were wrapped in some sort of spikey, dried vine.

**_“Ugh. They couldn't bother to get rid of the ivy?”_ ** Bendy jumped out of the boat. 

“I think they were trying to keep people in…”

**_“Well, that's great and all, but now people can't get in in the first place! Major design flaw.”_ **

Bendy kept on complaining to the point where Cuphead tuned him out. He couldn't believe his master-

_ "Wait! What? My master? Where did  _ _ that _ _ come from!?"  _ Cuphead was confused about why he mentally called Bendy his master. Sure, the ink demon had mentioned it before, but he thought he was joking.

The porcelain headed boy snapped out of his thoughts when he thought he heard the ink demon say something peculiar.

“Wait. What did you say about dragging people into hell?”

Bendy stopped ranting and was quite for a bit before answering his servant’s question.

**_“Oh! Right! I said that if that fake kept dragging people into hell, he would have this place swarming with mortals instead of souls.”_ **

“And I'm guessing that's a bad thing.”

**_“Yeah. It is.”_ ** Bendy sighed and looked over towards Cuphead.  **_“Now then, shall we get going?”_ **

“Oh…” He realized they haven't even move. He hasn't even gotten out of the boat.

After struggling to get out of the boat, Cuphead and Bendy walked towards the gate. However, as they tried to get closer, the gate seemed the get farder.

“What the-” Cuphead looked behind them. They weren't teleporting back to the boat, because the river was growing distant from them.

**_“Don't think big and ugly wants us out.”_ ** Bendy walked faster.  **_“I bet ya anything that we need to start running if this keeps up.”_ **

The porcelain headed boy nodded and sped up, matching the ink demon's pace. Speed walking didn't seem to help, so they went faster, and faster, until…

Cuphead managed to grab the gate by the metal bars. At that moment, he realized that the rust wasn't really rust, but he didn't really reacted to it. He got the gate, and that's important. Priorities man.

“I… got it!” The porcelain headed servant panted hard. He looked over to his master to see that the ink demon was actually limping.

“Whoa! You okay!?” Cuphead wanted to run to Bendy, cause he's a nice guy like that, but he had a feeling that the gate might try something funny.

**_“Y-yeah… Just… haven't ran like this… in a while…”_ **

Bendy was able to catch up to him, took a break. He sat down on a nearby rock, and relaxed.

**_“Give me a minute… Just need to catch my breath…”_ **

“Looks like that’s not the only thing,” Cuphead pointed out. “You were limping. I saw you.”

Bendy had a face of shock for a second before he looked away,  **_“L-look… Just give me some time to rest…”_ ** He sighed.  **_“You... on the other hand... need to get rid of those vines. It won't do us any good… if some vegetation is preventing the gate to open…”_ **

Cuphead would have complained that Bendy was faking the limping just to get out of removing the vines himself, but the limping looked sincere. Plus, he shouldn't say anything bad to the one guy who could get him out of hell. Even though the exit was just beyond the gates. He  DID promise to help Bendy get out as well.

Cuphead sighed and got to ripping those plants off of the gate. He had to be careful not to touch the spikes because that would be painful.

“Man… Mugs would be freaking out if he saw how dirty this gate is…” Cuphead couldn't help but miss his younger brother. “I bet ya anything he would try to make this gate ivy and rust free…”

**_“You do realize that's actually dried blood, right?”_ **

“Y-yeah… I know…”

Suddenly, a noise that sounded like a person groaning in pain could be heard.

~~ “Stop pulling on those vines like that," ~~  A voice suddenly said.  ~~ “You're bending my bars!” ~~

“What the-” Cuphead looked up to see that the gate had a face. It's eyes were a red velvet color, and it had a huge frown on it. The handles on the gate it look like he had a nose.

~~ “Who dares to came to the gates off hell!?” ~~ The gate looked at the two.

“Umm… We-”

**_“We’re just two guys who need to get out of here,”_ ** Bendy explained.  **_“You see, my friend here was dragged here by the Devil, and needs to get back to the surface.”_ **

~~ “Dragged by the Devil…” ~~ The gate took a moment to think before a emotion of shock appeared on his face.  ~~ “YOU MEAN HE ISN'T A SOUL!?” ~~

**_“That's the whole gist of it~”_ **

The gate took a moment to think before it sighed, causing it's hinges to squeak.

~~ “As much as I would love to help you, these vines have tied me up,” ~~ The gate explained.  ~~ “I can tell you already knew, but you can't just pull on them! If any of my bars bend, I'll get stuck, and probably never open again!” ~~

“Well then, what should we do about them?” Cuphead asked.

The gate looked over to shed that Cuphead hadn't noticed,  ~~ “Inside that shed is a pair of extremely sharp clippers that the old gate keeper used. The should be in good shape still. Use them.” ~~

Cuphead nodded, the went into the shed. He expected something to jump at him, but there was only tools in there. Even the clippers that the gate mentioned.

“These look kind feminine.” The porcelain headed boy picked the up. “Might have to ask the gate about that.”

**______________________ **

Cuphead had to climb the gate to get any vines higher up, and he was almost done with the removal of the ivy. Bendy’s leg got better, but he still sat on the rock, watching his servant work away.

“Almost done mister gate sir…” He clipped another vine. “Hey, can I ask why these things look so girly?”

~~ “HOW DARE YOU INSULT MY LOVELY SUSAN'S CLIPPERS!?” ~~

Cuphead nearly fell off when the gate yelled at him, “WHOA! Geez, I'm sorry…” Cuphead realized what the gate said. “Susan? Who's that?”

The gate sighed, ~~ “She… was the gatekeeper. She was quite the gal, and she was really nice. We fell for each other during our time together, and she promised to transfer my soul into a real body so we could be together. ~~

~~ But, no. After the fall of our ruler, THAT GOOD FOR NOTHING DEVIL HAD FORCED HER, AND ALL THE OTHER KEEPERS, TO WORK IN A STUPID CASINO!” ~~

Cuphead was quite for a bit before a face of determination appeared on him, “We have something against this guy as well.” He clipped the last vine. “Don't worry. We'll get her, and everyone else back.”

~~ “W-will you really?” ~~

“I promise.” He jumped down.

The gate looked happy. He smiled at Cuphead and Bendy.

~~ “Thank you. I hope you have good luck on your journey.”  ~~ He looked at Bendy.  ~~ “However… Sir, you might need to change your disguise… People will get confused if they see the ‘charon’ away from his post…” ~~

Bendy looked surprised,  **_“Wha- How…”_ **

~~ “That dirty cloak can't fool me, my Lord.” ~~

Before anything else could be said, the gate opened itself up, revealing the stairs that ascendant upwards.

A huge grin appeared on Cuphead's face. All he need to do is kick the Devil's butt again, and he could go home! He could breath fresh air again! He could see Mugman! He could-

**_“One out of four layers of hell completed. Three more to go.”_ **

“ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!?”

Why did he think this was going to be easy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is hell! Of course it's not going to be that easy!


	6. Terrible Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's day.
> 
> Hearts and chocolate and stuff...

**“I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! FIRST, THAT BOY HASN'T FALLEN VICTIM TO THE TORTURE, THEN HE TEAMED UP WITH THAT EX-RULER, NOW HE'S ESCAPED THE HARDEST LAYER!”**

The Devil was clearly angry. He had dragged Cuphead to the deepest, darkest part of hell, and that stubborn brat was still able to survive.

Lucifer looked into his viewing pool, watching what was happening with Bendy and Cuphead. They were going up the stairs, and no one was stopping them.

**“WHY WASN'T THAT VAMPIRE SQUID ABLE TO DROWN THEM!? IT'S SUPPOSE TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM LEAVING HELL!”**

_ “Is that what it was?” _ A new voice asked.  _ “It was a vampire squid?” _

**“SHUT UP! I DIDN'T DESIGN THE STUPID THING! THE STUPID WRITER DID!”**

_ “The what now?” _

**“THE- You know what? Nevermind.”** Satan leaned into his throne, and snapped his fingers, causing the pool to disappear.

**“This is getting INFURIATING! THE BLUE BOY WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE FROM ME, NOW THIS!”** He sat up straight, and made eye contact with the new comer.  **“IT'S THAT TINY DEMON'S FAULT! HE DOESN'T KNOW WHERE HE STANDS, SO HE JUST WALKS AROUND LIKE HE’S STILL IN CHARGE!”**

_ “Sir. Might I ask who you're talking about?” _

**“BENDY! THE DANCING DEMON! THE DARLIN’ DEVIL!” ** Lucifer growled again.  **“LET ME TELL YA SOME, DICE! DEMONS DON'T DANCE, AND DEVILS AREN'T DARLINGS! THAT IMP SHOULDN'T EXIST!”**

Dice cleared his throat,  _ “ _ _ A small demon isn't worth getting your panties in a bunch.” _ His face showed a look of discomfort.  _ “Unless… you're talking about… him…” _

**“OF COURSE I'M TALKING ABOUT HIM!”** Devil would have slammed a table if there was one nearby.  ** “THE LITTLE BASTARD THAT HAD THE CROWN BEFORE ME! Dice, let me tell ya something, I DESERVE THE THRONE AND THE CROWN… However…” **

Satan got off his throne, and looked around to see if he and Dice were the only people in the room. He lifted the cushion off his seat and revealed a box, about as big as the throne itself. He then pulled the box up, struggling a bit.

**“Help me, would ya!”** He called out.

Dice rushed over to his boss. He grabbed the side that wasn't being held, and helped Lucifer carry the box. When they got down the miniature stairs, the Devil dropped the box, causing Dice’s fingers to get crushed.

As Dice struggled to get his fingers out from under the box, Satan opened the box. When he did so, he pulled out the content of the box.

In the Devil's hands was a crown that clearly wouldn't fit, because it was too big. It was made completely out of platinum, with black gems decorating it.

**“This crown is too wide. I know that the imp had a big head, but this feels like he's teasing me!”**

Dice got his fingers unstuck,  _ “Perhaps it was just made for him.” _ He got up, and started to pinch is squished finger, trying to un-flatten them.  _ “I don't think it has any powers on it, or anything.” _

**“That's where you're wrong, Dice,”**  Lucifer growled.  **“During our fight for the throne, I managed to knock this bad boy off his head. Suddenly, he was much easier to defeat.”**

Satan put the crown back into the box and closed it,  **“Coincidence? I think not!”**

_ “Did you defeat him in one hit or something?” _

**“YES! RIGHT AFTER I KNOCKED IT OFF!”**

_ “Think about this logically, sir. He might have been in shock when you knocked it off, so he was unable to guard himself against your amazing powers!” _

**“Oh, you're just saying that…”**

Lucifer pick up the box, just fine, and put it back where it belonged. Dice glared at him, but didn't say anything. In fact, he stopped glaring after a few seconds.

**“Now then…”** The Devil sat on his throne.  **“What were we talking about before?”**

Before Dice could answer, Satan remember.

**“Oh yes! That's right~”** He looked at his good for nothing lacky.  **“KING DICE!”**

_ “Y-yes sir!” _

**“FIND THE MUG BOY! I have something 'special’ for him and his brother~”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Musical warning:
> 
> THAT'S WHAT FOR BEING GREEDY!  
> SO GREEDY!
> 
> (Greedy greedy. Greedy greedy.)
> 
> SO GREEDY!
> 
> (Greedy greedy. Greedy greedy.)
> 
> OH, THAT'S WHAT YOU GET!
> 
> (Song is called Greedy. It's a Cuphead original song. Look it up, it's good.)


	7. Illness Illusions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Writer's block, ya know?

As the duo walked up the stairs, Cuphead noticed that it was getting cooler. It was still hot, but it wasn't roasting him alive.

Still, he wasn't happy that Hell had four layers, and he was unfortunate to be stuck in the bottom layer for a few months. Perhaps even longer!

He was so angry! He had gotten his hopes up, just to realize he has a lot more to go! Apparently, months weren't enough! He had to go through more, and-

**_“So, what do you think?”_ **

Cuphead snapped out of his mental rant, and looked at Bendy. The ink demon was wearing a different cloak. This one was completely clean, and black. It wasn't patched, and stitched up like the charon’s cloak.

Another about this cloak it that it had golden embroidery at the bottom. It had long sleeves that didn't cover his hands, and there was embroidery at the wrist part. The cloak also had purple buttons, and they were already buttoned up.

“I-it..” The porcelain headed servant was at a loss of words to describe his master’s cloak.

**_“It... what?”_ **

“It… looks good on ya, but wouldn't people get suspicious with someone wearing a fancy thing like that?”

Bendy shrugged, **_“A lot of demons wear this type of thing.”_** He made eye contact with Cuphead. ** _“Be warned, souls will either run the opposite direction, or try to fight us if they see us. You better hope they run.”_**

“R-right…”

Finally, they reached the top of the stairs, and entered the next layer.

The place was different from the last. There was no fire, nor was there any lava. However, the stones were red hot, and the air seemed wavey.

**_“Welcome to the third layer. The previous one was the fourth layer, where the worst of the worst go. This layer is where the lunatics dwell.”_ **

What Bendy said made Cuphead uncomfortable, “T-the lunatics?”

Bendy nodded, **_“The lunatics that have lost control.”_ ** He grinned. _ **“Lost control and done terrible, terrible things.”**_

Cuphead gulped nervously, and looked ahead. He hoped nobody would jump out at them. Hopefully, they'll run the other way, like Bendy said.

**_“ALRIGHT! LET'S GET GOING!_** ” Bendy walked onward without waiting for Cuphead. The porcelain headed boy had to speed walk to catch up.

Cuphead glanced at the ink demon, “So… what evil things did these guys do?”

Bendy grinned, **_“Oh! Such horrible thing! They murdered, set things on fire, enjoyed pain, and the works.”_**

“Oh…” The porcelain headed boy was scared as all hell.

_**____________________** _

Sometime had passed since that lovely conversation. The duo walked through some pretty dark caves, and abandoned roads. Nothing exciting happened to them... Yet...

_"Geez... The suspense is killing me,"_ Cuphead thought to himself. _"This honestly seems to easy..."_

The porcelain headed boy noticed the ink demon's uneasiness. Seems like he isn't the only one worried about the unsettling silence.

Due to the fact that they were in another dark cave, the sound of pebbles moving, like they were sliding, could be heard.

Cuphead immediately went into battle stances. His hand was already glowing so they could see through the darkness.

"COME OUT OF YOUR HIDING SPOT! WE KNOW YOU'RE THERE!"

...

**_"It must of been a demon trying to-"_ **

Some rocks that were attached to a wall fell onto the floor, revealing a hole that could fit a body.

And that's what they found.

A body.

A dead body.

The corpse fell onto of the rock. It was facing them, watching them with empty eye sockets. It's mouth moving while whispers, groans, and moans of agony escaped it.

"Wha- What the-" No words could describe the poor boy's shock, nor could they be spoken.

The dead body opened it's mouth so wide that it's jaw might dislocate, but this is a world were people turn into blimps and use words as an attack. Then, millions of bugs crawled out of the mouth, and every other hole that could, or would, be named.

**_"You alright there?"_** Bendy asked, even though it was slightly out of character for him to do so. **_"Ya don't look so good..."_**

Cuphead couldn't answer. He suddenly felt dizzy, and his vision was spotted with black dots. His stomach was acting up, and his breath gotten shallow.

He felt like he was going to faint...

**______________________ **

A few hours... No... It felt longer, but even then... He woke up. The horrific scene replayed in his mind, but it was faded, like ancient text carved on stone, but was weathered during time. His head was pounding, like he could feel his own heartbeat in his cranium.

"What... happened...?" He already knew what happened, but he couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe his own eyes.

_**"You fainted."**_ The ink demon was looming over Cuphead. **_"What more do you need to know?"_**

The porcelain headed boy looked over to where the corpse was. Keyword here is "was" because the body wasn't there anymore.

"Where...?"

**_"Where what?"_ **

"Th- the body..."

Bendy looked over to where the body was, **_"It wasn't a human body. It was a demon trying to frighten us."_** He looked at Cuphead again. **_"This place messes with people's minds. Whatever happens, don't believe what you see, alright?"_**

The porcelain headed boy nodded.

**_"Now then, we should get going."_** The ink demon helped his servant up. **_"Don't want to get jumpscared again, do we?"_**

"Of course not!" Cuphead scoffed.

**_"Great! Let's get going!"_ **

A blue, glowing aura surrounded Cuphead's hand, lightning the way, and the duo continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Too gorey, or not enough? Looking for feedback guys!


	8. Legion Lunatics part one: Crawling Creatures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be... quite the chapter...

The path ahead of them was clear as far as they could see, and they could see pretty far from wear they were standing.

"Jeez... I can see a lot..." Cuphead surveyed the path. "Heh... I would pull the whole 'I can see my house from here', but my house is on the surface."

 ** _"We are quite high up, aren't we?"_** Bendy chuckled. **_"Well... We shouldn't get distracted, or else you'll never get home."_**

"R-right..."

They walked down the hill they were standing on, and continued going. Nothing could attack them since there was no way for an ambusher to hide.

Well, that's what they thought, and they thought wrong.

Something whooshed past the duo, close to their heads. A few seconds later, more things whooshed past them. Whispers could be heard.

"What the heck is going on!?"

Suddenly, something came out of the ground. They were puzzle pieces with feet, eyes and a mouth. They started to run in circles around Cuphead chanting, "Can't put the pieces together? It's okay! We can't either."

"Wha- What's happing!?"

Little gray clouds with faces appeared. They were crying, releasing rain, and thunder. They shouting things like, "leave me alone" "I don't want to do anything" and "Is it really worth it?

All the noise cause the porcelain headed boy to not be able to hear himself think, or hear Bendy shouting.

**_"Cuphead! Don't let them get to you!"_ **

More strange creaters surrounded the poor boy. The sound of all these demons shouting discouraging things.

There were light-gray, faceless demons that were extremely fat, or extremely skinny. Demons they shouted insults, and proclaimed death. Demons that looked like scrambled letter.

All of them shout to the top their lungs...

"Stop..."

They wouldn't.

"Be quite!"

They didn't.

"SHUT UP!"

A sound that resembled something, or somethings, getting stabbed could be heard. Then, silence...

Since Cuphead had closed his eyes, he had to open them to see what was going on.

The porcelain headed boy was surrounded by black, oozing spikes that impaled all of the demons. Suddenly, the spikes disappeared into the ground, dragging the demons with them.

"..."

**_"I'm... Never going to do that again..."_ **

Cuphead looked over at Bendy, who was on his knees, and breathing heavily.

**_"But... I had to..."_ **

"Bendy... What did you do?"

**_"Saved your ass... That's what."_ **

Cuphead flinched at Bendy's vulgar language, but didn't say anything about it.

There was a uncomfortable moment of silence. The ink demon tried to get up, but kept falling, in a comedic way, on his face.

"How about we take a break," Cuphead suggest.

Bendy glared at his servant, but sighed, **_"Fine. Might do us some good..."_**

They sat in silence that was different from the last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The demons you see here represent different disorders. Can you guess the disorders?
> 
> Also, if any of you guys have any disorders, please, get some help.
> 
> You don't have to fight against them alone. 
> 
> Believe it or not, I have autism, but I'm on the high functioning end of the spectrum. I'm somewhat fortunate, but people still harass me for being the odd one out. 
> 
> And I know people with different disorders. I went to a birthday party for a kid who was non verbal! I'm also in a group that helps special needs kids!
> 
> Look, you're not alone! There are others like you, or have something wrong!
> 
> I can't detect you to a doctor, but I'll do my best to help!
> 
> I promise...


	9. Legion Lunatics part two: Mental Mayhem

After their break, the demonic duo, well one demon and one soulless mortal, continued on their journey.

The path ahead was barren as a empty bowl. Nothing attacked them as they moved forward.

But speaking of attacked, Cuphead was remembering when Bendy had saved him. He wondered if Bendy was really all that powerful. Powerful enough to be the previous ruler in the first place.

He got his answer.

Now the question is, why doesn't he use it? Is there something Cuphead isn't getting, or what?

Cuphead thought about it for a bit and remembered that the ink demon was tired after using his power.

 _"He was limping when we were running towards the gate as well,"_ the porcelain headed servant thought. _"Maybe he's out of shape..."_

Bendy suddenly stopped and held his arm out like a border that halted Cuphead's movement.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he looked at his master.

The ink demon was quiet for a bit before answering, **_"Do you see that building ahead?"_**

"You mean the one that looks like an abandoned hospital or something?"

Bendy nodded, **_"That building is a maze created by fears and phobias... It's different for everyone..."_**

"Do you have any fears?" Cuphead asked, then immediately regretted it.

However, the ink demon didn't get mad. He just chuckled before answering, _**"Cleithrophobia, athazagoraphobia, and isolophobia. What about you?"**_

"Umm..." Cuphead thought about that for a second. "Atychiphobia, trypophobia, basiphobia, and thanatophobia..."

Bendy nodded, **_"Interesting... Well, we're going to have to overcome our fears to..."_** He looked uncomfortable. **_"Get to our goal..."_**

Both of them stood in uncomfortable silence.

**_"Ready for the fear factor?"_ **

"To be honest, no."

**_"Me either."_ **

**______________________ **

They wondered into the building, knowing what to expect. The maze changes to fit their fear, trying to make them flee in horror.

However, Cuphead had actually trained for this, by accident. The maze turned into one of the levels, as he and Mugman called them, that he gone through before.

Despite his fears, he would have an easy time.

The same couldn't be said for Bendy, however. The ink demon had ran off as if he was either trying to find someone, or trying to run from someone.

Still, they had to make it out. Cuphead decided that he had to get through as fast as he could, and probably catch up with Bendy.

As he was going through, memories of when he bet away his and his brother's soul for money.

**______________________ **

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?"

Cuphead had never seen Mugman this angry before. He knew that his little brother had a temper, but he clearly underestimated it.

"I-I didn't mean to... I-"

"OH! I AWAYS HEAR THIS FROM YOU! _'I DIDN'T MEAN TO' 'I DIDN'T THINK' 'IT WAS AN ACCIDENT'_! YOU NEVER USE YOUR BRAIN FOR COMMON SENSE!"

Cuphead was silent for a long while. Mugman had a point. Despite what people think, Cuphead was actually more book smart than street smart.

"I'm sorry. I-"

"SORRY DOESN'T GETS US OUT OF A DEAL! SORRY DOESN'T TURN BACK TIME! SORRY DOESN'T FIX _YOUR_ MISTAKE!"

Cuphead wasn't at the verge of tears. He truly regretted what he did, but Mugman wouldn't listen.

The younger of the two sighed as he pinched the bridge of his big nose, "What are we going to tell Elder Kettle?"

"Correction," Cuphead said. "What am I going to tell Elder Kettle?"

"Oh my- THERE YOU GO, CORRETING ME AS-" The relizion hit him. "Wait. WHAT!?"

"You heard me. I'm doing this by myself."

"ARE YOU STUPID!? Wait. Don't answer that. I already know."

Silence filled the area, making the brothers feel uneasy. Mugman cleared his throat and made eye contact with Cuphead.

"You're going to die out there if you do this by yourself."

"You didn't bet your soul-"

"That's because _you_ did!"

"And I'm going to get them back!"

Before Mugman could argue, Cuphead ran home.

**______________________ **

Cup landed on his feet as a boss fell to it's, metaphorical, knees. He dusted himself off, and pulled up his pants.

For some reason, his right hand caught his attention. Well, more like the black stain on the inside of his glove.

It was a reminder, a painful one, that he wasn't on the surface, what he was doing in a place that looked like the surface, and who else was there with him.

Speaking of which, Cuphead still hadn't found Bendy yet. The ink demon might be way ahead, or way behind, but the porcelain headed boy had to find him.

Suddenly, a gurgled scream could be heard from somewhere. Cuphead's heroic instinct made him run towards the source of it. He never ignored a cry of help.

He ran as fast as he could, completely ignoring the fact that he was running on air. Then again, toons can walk on air as long as they didn't look down.

Luckily, Cuphead looked forward. He ran and looked for the source of the scream.

And he found it.

It was Bendy, who seemed to be backing away from something.

 ** _"N-NO! PLEASE! DON'T!"_** The ink demon pleaed. Not noticing Cuphead's presence.

Cuphead didn't see anything that Bendy could be yelling at. Then he remembered that the maze was different for everyone.

"Bendy!" Cuphead tried to call for the darlin' devil, but he wasn't heard.

The dancing demon used his arms to cover his head like he was going to get hit. Cuphead immediately acted and rushed towards him. He got a grasp of Bendy's shoulder, and the illusions vanished.

The hall were now black with torches littering the walls. The ink demon was shivering and crying.

"Hey... Bendy..."

The dancing demon looked up. His eyes were covered with ink, so he had to wipe it away. When he saw Cuphead, he broke down and hugged him.

 _"Guess it's not just my glove I'm going to need to wash,"_ Cuphead thought, but he didn't mind really.

**_"Don't let me go back there, please..."_ **

Cuphead didn't know what to do. He remembered the time when he told Elder Kettle about what he done, and started crying...

He then remembered how the elder was able to calm him down. Rubbing his back, and assuring that he would be okay.

He tried to do the same thing with Bendy. It took awhile to get the demon to stop crying, but it worked.

 ** _"I-I think... I might have another fear..."_ ** Bendy confessed. **_"B-but I don't know... What it's called..."_**

"Can you describe it?"

Bendy was silent for a bit, **_"T-there's this place that... That I was born, you could say,"_** Bendy explained. **_"A-and it trapped me... I couldn't escape. Everyone there was doing occult stuff, a-and..."_**

Bendy started sobbing, **_"I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK! EVEN HELL IS BETTER THEN THAT PLACE!"_**

Cuphead thought about what the ink demon said. Sounded like he had a terrible past. The porcelain headed boy was fortunate enough to not go through what Bendy did.

The word appeared in Cuphead's head, "Nostophobia, also know as ecophobia, the fear of returning home."

**_"H-how do you know this?"_ **

"Eh... I'm more book smart than street smart."

**_"I-I see..."_ **

**______________________ **

After awhile, the duo made it out. They were holding hands because the illusions were only kept at bay as long as they had physical contact. _Totally normal._

In front of them was a man with long dirty blond hair, and a blue shirt long enough to cover his private parts. His body and face were covered in scars.

"Another demon?" Cuphead asked, letting go of Bendy's hand.

The ink demon nodded, **_"He looks familiar though..."_**

The man walked closer to them, and he was whispering something, but it sounded like multiple people were whispering it, so it sounded clear.

 _"_ **Y** ~~ _o_ **u**~~ _. ****_ **.** _._   **C** _h_ ~~ **e** _a_~~ **t** _ ~~e~~_ **d** _._ **.** _._ **"**

"Cheated? How?"

 _"_ **Y** ~~ _o_~~ ~~ **u**~~ _._ **.** _._ **"**  The man pointed at the maze. _"_ **C** _h_ ~~ **e** _a_~~ **t** _ ~~e~~_ **d** _._ **.** _._ **"**

 ** _"To be fair, sir, it wasn't a fair 'game'."_ ** Bendy used air quotes when he said game.

The man grabbed his hair and pulled it, _"_ **Y** ~~ _o_ **u**~~   _c_ **h** ~~ _e_ **a**~~ _t_ ** ~~e~~** _d_ **.**   _Y_ ~~ **o** _u_~~   **c** _h_ ~~ **e** _a_~~ **t** _ ~~e~~_ **d** _. **Y** ~~ _o_ **u**~~   _c_ **h** ~~ _e_ **a**~~ _t_ ** ~~e~~** _d_ **.**   _Y_ ~~ **o** _u_~~   **c** _h_ ~~ **e** _a_~~ **t** _ ~~e~~_ **d** _. **Y** ~~ _o_ **u**~~   _c_ **h** ~~ _e_ **a**~~ _t_ ** ~~e~~** _d_ **.**   _Y_ ~~ **o** _u_~~   **c** _h_ ~~ **e** _a_~~ **t** _ ~~e~~_ **d** _. **Y** ~~ _o_ **u**~~   _c_ **h** ~~ _e_ **a**~~ _t_ ** ~~e~~** _d_ **.**   _Y_ ~~ **o** _u_~~   **c** _h_ ~~ **e** _a_~~ **t** _ ~~e~~_ **d** _. **Y** ~~ _o_ **u**~~   _c_ **h** ~~ _e_ **a**~~ _t_ ** ~~e~~** _d_ **.**   _Y_ ~~ **o** _u_~~   **c** _h_ ~~ **e** _a_~~ **t** _ ~~e~~_ **d** _. **Y** ~~ _o_ **u**~~   _c_ **h** ~~ _e_ **a**~~ _t_ ** ~~e~~** _d_ **.**   _Y_ ~~ **o** _u_~~   **c** _h_ ~~ **e** _a_~~ **t** _ ~~e~~_ **d** _. **Y** ~~ _o_ **u**~~   _c_ **h** ~~ _e_ **a**~~ _t_ ** ~~e~~** _d_ **.**   _Y_ ~~ **o** _u_~~   **c** _h_ ~~ **e** _a_~~ **t** _ ~~e~~_ **d** _. **Y** ~~ _o_ **u**~~   _c_ **h** ~~ _e_ **a**~~ _t_ ** ~~e~~** _d_ **.**   _Y_ ~~ **o** _u_~~   **c** _h_ ~~ **e** _a_~~ **t** _ ~~e~~_ **d** _._ **"**_______

He repeated those words, saying them faster and faster, surprisingly not biting his tongue.

Suddenly, he threw his head back, opened his mouth widely, and a bunch of demons flew out of it.

"What the-" Cuphead watched in horror as trillions of demons that looked like foot long, six inch wide snakes with dragon head's came flying out of the man.

He became dizzy again, but he tried to be strong. For his sake, and Bendy's.

_"And for everyone who's missing me on the surface..."_

He positioned his hand into a finger gun, his aura color becoming a lime green. He started to rapidly snap, causing homing shots to be fired.

Cuphead noticed that two hits of the chaser bullets killed one of the demons. One shot of the peashooter would kill them easily, but they wouldn't stop moving, so he had to stick with his current weapon.

The man went limp when no more demons came out of him. The legion of demons attacked the soulless servant.

They surrounded him, and their whispers were overwhelming him. There was too many of them, he couldn't defeat them all.

A demon flew at the porcelain headed boy. He didn't have enough time to react, so he got hit. A crack could be heard as some of his liquid got knocked out of him.

He got dizzy again. These demons circling him didn't help either. Defeating them all was clearly impossible.

**_"Cuphead!"_ **

The porcelain headed boy looked over to see Bendy waving his arms.

 _ **"There's a pink demon circling you!"**_ He pointed at it. **_"Try doing the thing that you did with the squid's pink tentacles, and get out of the circle! I got a plan!"_**

Cuphead nodded and looked for the pink demon. Once he found it, he parried it, and got of the circle.

 ** _"Follow me!"_** Bendy commanded when the servant was close enough. The demons hadn't noticed Cuphead's disappearance, so the duo had a head start.

After a while, they ran into a pig pen. The soulless boy was confused for a second.

 ** _"Trust me."_** Bendy turned to look behind them. _**"We just need to hide."**_

They did so, under a pile of bags. The legion quickly caught up, and was confused when they couldn't find the duo.

Suddenly, they possessed the swines, causing them to panic and ran towards a ridge...

...filled with magma.

The demonic duo peeked out of their hiding spot. They looked at the possessed pig falling into the ridge, then each other. They started laughing, but it was a awkward and nervous kind of laugh.

 _ **"W-we're fine. We survived."**_ Ink was starting to cover Bendy eyes again.

"Yay..." Cuphead's cheer sounded drained.

There was a long silence. A lot had happened to them, and it might get even more chaotic as they went on.

Cuphead looked at Bendy and noticed that his master's cloak was soaked in black ink. No wonder some of the dark liquid got on the soulless servant.

"Do you... melt often?"

Bendy was confused until he realized what Cuphead was talking about.

**_"Oh! Well, I guess you can call it that, but yes. However, it only when I feel extreme negative emotions."_ **

"I see..."

More silence. Why was it always silence?

 ** _"We shouldn't stick around,"_** Bendy said. **_"Legion might come back."_**

"Is that what they were called?"

The ink demon nodded.

"We shouldn't push ourselves though!" Cuphead said. 

 ** _"DON'T ARGUE WITH ME!"_** Bendy's voice was gurgling.

"I'm not arguing." Cuphead crossed his arms. "I'm telling you why we shouldn't do something reckless."

**_"DON'T PULL THAT WITH ME! I BET YOU'VE DONE MORE RECKLESS THINGS!"_ **

"I'm trying to fix that! I'm trying to fix my mistakes."

Bendy flinched at Cuphead's words. He realized that he was getting angry at the person who did nothing to him.

 ** _"Y-you're right... We should take a break."_ ** Bendy tried to calm down.

"Maybe a nap as well..."

**_"Huh?"_ **

"You heard me." Cuphead rubbed his left eye. "Besides, aren't you tired?"

Bendy shook his head. He hadn't felt tired.

"Heh... Trust me..." Cuphead layed down on one of the bags, the liquids not spilling out for some reason, and pulled another bag on top of himself like it was a blanket. "We need some rest."

Bendy just shrugged and layed down next to Cuphead. Drowsiness hit him like a ton of bricks when he got into a comfortable position.

"You can barely keep your eyes open," the soulless servant joked.

 ** _"Shut up..."_** Bendy rolled over to where he was facing Cuphead.

The porcelain headed boy chuckled, grabbed a bag, and pulled it over the ink demon. He was about to fall asleep when he felt an arm land on top of him.

"Using me as a plush toy?" Cuphead joked.

 ** _"No..."_** Bendy denied. ** _"Just keeping the demons away..."_**

"Sure..."

Bendy ended up falling asleep. Cuphead rolled his eyes, wrapped his arm around Bendy.

"Good night, Bendy..."

He fell asleep, feeling as carefree as a bird. He had made so progress, and he had only so much to go.

He could rest easily knowing that he had a good friend in his arms that would help keep the bad dreams away and demons away.

The fact that they were hugging in their sleep was totally normal.


	10. Dingy Door

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who actually missed this? Raise your hand.

It was a few quiet, peaceful moments. The two toons lying there, staring into each other's eyes, held each other in their arms, collecting their thoughts.

They were fully aware how strange the situation was, but not caring all that much. They were well rested, and ready to go.

 They just needed to fully wake up, because they didn't want to get up. They felt to comfortable.

  ** _"Hate the fact that we have to get up_** _ **.**_ _ **.**_ ** _."_** Bendy complained. _**"**_ _ **It's like**_ ** _we've only_** _ **slept**_ _ **for**_ ** _thirty_** _ **minutes**_ ** _."_**

 "Thirty minutes down here might mean thirty months up there," Cuphead joked. "Besides, I don't think there's any clocks down here..."

  ** _"_** _ **Actually**_ _ **,**_ _ **there's a guy**_ ** _with a clock_** _ **face down here**_ ** _,_** ** _and he said every_** _ **minute down here is the same as up there**_ ** _,"_** Bendy explained. _**"**_ ** _Meaning_** _ **, thirty**_ ** _minutes passed up there_** ** _. If_** ** _that much time_** _ **actually passed**_ _ **, that is**_ _ **.**_ ** _"_**

 "I thought I was the smart one," Cuphead said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

  _ **"I**_ _ **consider**_ ** _myself good with math and art_** _ **,**_ ** _that's_** ** _about it_** ** _."_** Bendy shrugged and reluctantly sat up.

 Cuphead sat up as well. He stretched himself to loosen any muscles that might have tightened. One could hear a few bones popping.

 "Honestly, that was the best nap I had in a while," Cuphead admitted. "I haven't gotten a wink of sleep since I've came here."

  ** _"Me_** ** _either_** _ **, and**_ ** _I've been here longer_** ** _."_** Bendy rubbed his eye. **_"Do we_** _ **really have to get**_ ** _going now?"_**

 "Perhaps."

 The ink demon glare at the soulless servant.

  _ **____________________**_

 They finally got off their rear ends and started walking. About time too. They walked on the empty path with nothing to fear. I mean it this time.

 After they've walked a few miles, they arrived in front of a door. It was dirty, and really rusty.

 "So, do we just knock?" Cuphead asked, prepared to do the so-said action.

  _ **"Guess so** _ **_."_**

 Cuphead knocked on the door, receiving a pain filled groan.

  _"The ~~~~_~~_nerve_~~ _of_ ~~ _some_~~ _people!"_ A voice said. ~~_"They_~~ think hitting _things  _ ~~ _will_~~ _ make _everything _better!"_

 Cuphead looked up to see that the door had an angry face.

 "S-sorry Mister," the porcelain headed boy said. "Didn't mean to knock that hard."

 The door glared at him, _~~"Oh!~~ __That's  _ ~~ _what_~~ _they_ ~~ _all_~~ _say!"_

  _ **"Sir, my friend means what he says."**_ Bendy sound so done. **_"He's honestly too nice for his own good."_**

 Cuphead would had said something if he hadn't seen what the ink demon was trying to do.

  ~~ _"Are_~~ _you _ ~~_sure_~~ about  ~~that?"~~

  _ **"Positive."**_

 The door snarled, _"BAH!_ ~~ _No_~~ _matter!  _ ~~ _Why_~~ _are_ ~~ _you_~~ _here?"_

 "We need to leave this place, sir,"  Cuphead explained. "I'm actually not a soul, I-"

  ~~ _"WHAT_~~ _SHOULD _ ~~_I_~~ _CARE _ ~~_IF_~~ _YOU'RE _ ~~_A_~~ _SOUL _ ~~_OR_ ~~ _ NOT? _ ~~_WITH_~~ _THAT _ ~~_UNWORTHY_~~ _BEING_ ~~_ON_~~ _THE _ ~~TH~~ ~~RONE~~ _,_ _ EVERYTHING _ ~~_HAS_~~ _GONE _ ~~_TO_~~ _SHIT!"_

 Cuphead cringed. Hell had no filter, did it?

  ** _"Well then, Mister, if you let us through, we can bring order, to a point because hell is meant to be chaotic, back to the underworld!"_**

 The door considered that thought, ~~_"Sounds_~~ _nice...,  _ ~~ _but_~~ _I_ ~~ _have_~~ _my  _ ~~ _own_~~ _duties  _ ~~ _you_~~ _know..."_

 Bendy and Cuphead looked at each other.

  ~~ _"I_~~ _know, _ ~~_how_~~ _about _ ~~_a_~~ _quiz?"_

  **"Umm... Sure..."**

 "ALRIGHT! QUESTION ONE: What was Walt Disney's first creation?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you know the answer? Comment below if you do! If not, do what you will.


	11. Quirky Quiz

 

_ "ALRIGHT! QUESTION ONE: What was Walt Disney's first creation?"_

"Walt Disney? Who the heck is Walt Disney?"

**_"He's the creator of Mickey Mouse,"_** Bendy answered. **_"However, Mickey wasn't his first creation..."_**

Cuphead looked nervously at Bendy, "Then who or what is?"

Bendy furrowed his eyebrows, **_"Depends on what the dumb door is asking..."_** Bendy made sure to say that quietly. _**"This first animation he made had to do with steamboats or something."**_

Cuphead was thinking before a lightbulb came on.

"I remembered now!" Cuphead pouned the side of his fist onto his other hand. "Walt had made a charater before he made a company named after him! I read a book about it!"

_**"You remember what their name was?"**_

"No, but I do recall that it was a guy and his name started with a 'O'. I think he was a rabbit."

Bendy's face lit up, then he faced the door and shouted, _**"Oswald the Lucky Rabbit!"**_

_"Correct!"_ The door proclaimed. ~~_"Quiet_~~ _the_ ~~ _smart_~~ _ones_ ~~ _you_~~ _two_ ~~ _are!"_~~

The demonic duo, inaccurate name, refure to chapter seven, high fived.

_ "Second _ _~~question:~~  _ _When_ _did_ _Mickey_ _Mouse first_ _made_ _his_ _debut?"_

_**"Don't know the answer to that one, but at least I know what he's asking this time."**_

Cuphead did too, and he actually knew the answer, "Steamboat Willie." He turned to Bendy. "That was the one you were talking about."

The ink demon facepalmed.

~~_"Correct_~~ _again!_ ~~ _I'm_~~ _ unsure_  ~~ _if_~~ _the   ~~last~~_ _ one _ ~~_will_~~ stump   ~~ _you_~~ _ or _ ~~_you'll_~~ _answer _ ~~_it_~~ _in _ ~~_a_~~ _snap!"_

"Well? Ask it!"

~~_"Alright:_ ~~ _WHAT..."_

Bendy and Cuphead got their thinking caps on, metaphorically.

_"_ _IS...."_

They were prepared for the final question.

_ "Two plus two? _ ~~_Trust_~~ _me. ~~A~~_ _lot _ ~~_of_~~ _people _ ~~_get_~~ _ this _ ~~ _question_~~ _wrong."_

Cue Bendy and Cuphead fainting anime style, they immediately got up afterwards.

"Are you kidding me? The answer's four! Even a hopeless idiot like me would know that!"

_**"Who said you were-"**_

_~~"Then~~ , _ _ I _ ~~_guess_~~ ~~~~ _that _ ~~_there_~~ _are _ ~~_people_~~ _more _ ~~_hopeless_~~ _than_ ~~~~_~~you."~~_

The door awkwardly coughed, " _Either  _ ~~ _way,_~~ _you_ ~~ _completed_~~ _my  _ ~~ _quiz_~~ _with_ ~~ _an_~~ _A!  _ ~~ _The_~~ ~~~~ _way  _ ~~ _shall_~~ _now  _ ~~ _open_~~ _for_ ~~ _you!"_~~

The door suddenly open, slowly though because he was a sentimental being who didn't like to get hurt, reviling a staircase that led upwards.

"Two down, two to go." Cuphead glared at Bendy. "Unless there's more layers you want to tell me about..."

**_"Nope. You're good."_ **

Cuphead just ran up the stairs, not even waiting for the ink demon.

**_"Hey! Cuphead! Wait up!"_ **

The porcelain headed servant slowed down, but didn't stop.

**_"There's something I want ask you,"_** Bendy said when he caught up. _**"Who said you were a hopeless idoit?"**_

That caused Cuphead to stop. Bendy had walked ahead by three steps, but stopped and turned to look at the soulless servant.

"My own brother... and he was right..."


	12. Looming Shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, how long has it been? Few weeks? A month?
> 
> I can't keep track.

"...And then Elder Kettle brought me here." Mugman said, finishing his story that he was telling his therapist, who was an anamorphic corgi that who wore a yellow dress that looked good on her.

"I see." She wrote down some notes on her notepad. "So, you said your shadow triggered your... emotions?"

He nodded, "It hasn't before. I spent a whole day not feeling sad, until I was going home..."

"Interesting..." She wrote down some more notes, then put her pad on her lap. "Can I ask you something? It's going to sound strange, but I have a good reason to ask it."

"S-sure," Mugman said.

"Have you left your house ever since yor bother... had fallen?"

Mugman tried to remember the last time he left his house before today, "I guess I haven't..."

The corgi picked up her notepad again, "I see. Explains why this only happened once..."

There was silence in the room, the only sound was breathing and pen on paper.

"You said your first emotion when you saw your shadow was guilt? Why is that?"

"Because of how horribly I treated him..."

"Care to elaborate? Or do you not want to talk about it?"

"It be better to get it off my chest..." He looked at the floor. "As long as you promise not to judge."

"I promise."

He looked into her eyes that were behind glass that was held by a green rim, "I think I've told how he accidentally betted our souls, and about me being super angry about it. However, I don't think I've told you that I decided to join halfway through his jorney..."

"But you said you didn't help him."

"I didn't. I let him do most of the work. He didn't look upset about it, but that doesn't make it right..."

More writing, "Is that all?"

He shook his head, "All throughout the rest of the contract collecting, all I did was throw insults at him. I called him stupid, a hopeless idiot, and things like that..."

"And the only reason you feel this guilt is that you haven't been able to apologize to him?"

"That's just part if it, but yeah..."

"You said you were picking flowers when you were going home, correct?"

Mugman nodded, "Why do you ask?"

"How about you take those flowers to his grave? Perhaps he'll hear your apologie in the afterlife? I've heard that spirts will hear you if you speak to them at there resting place."

"You're right. I probably should." He got off of his seat. "Thanks Mrs. Amelia. You really are the best therapist."

"You're welcome, Mugman."

He left the room, making sure to close the door.

_"Are you certain you sent him to a_ _vacant_ _ area?" _

"No one has visit the graveyard during the day in a long time, _sir_."

_ "Careful with your language, Amelia. If you know what's good for  _ _** you, ** _ _ you wouldn't talk to me with that attitude, understand?" _

"Yes King Dice..."

The sleazy manager who was in the dark corner steped out of the darkness, _"Good girl."_ He said with pure evil in his voice. "Seems like some people do know the amazing power the devil has."

And with that, he vanished.

** ______________________ **

"... Hey Cuppy..."

Mugman was currently looking at the ground that his brother was supposedly buried under. A plain tombstone marked the place that Cuphead ~~didn't~~ slept.

"I'm sorry that I didn't visit you during the past few months. I was...busy..."

Silence.

"Anyways, I... I got you some flowers. They're not like the fancy bouquets people have seem to given you, but they're are your favorite. Poppys!"

He placed the poppys on the grave. More silence, but it felt like someone was listening.

"Yeah, I just thought you would like them." Mugman sighed. "I should probably stop beating the bush, I came here to apologize."

Even more silence. A ominous aura filled the area.

"I'm sorry. For everything. For being a bad brother, for shouting insults instead of helping you, for not being able to get you out of the devil's grasp, and other things like that."

A gust of wind blew past. It seemed like it coolness was telling him something.

"Why did you promise that you would come home, anyways?" Mugman suddenly asked. "There's no way you can get out by yourself, and I'm not sure if anyone will help you."

Another gust of wind, stronger and colder.

"Were you trying to not make me worry? Trying to make me feel better?" Mugman sighed. "Well, it's been awhile, you're still not back. I'm not angry, just upset you would make a promise you couldn't keep."

More wind. Mugnan had to hold his straw to keep it from flying off.

"Jeez, what's with this wind?" He mumbled. "Are you telling me to leave? I'm trying to be nice, and this is how you treat me? Yeah, I know what I did was wrong but this isn't necessary."

_"I think your_ _brother was_ _trying to warn you_ _about my_ _presence_ _,"_ A familiar and unpleasant voice said. _"But you were too_ _clueless to hear it_ _."_

Mugman turned around to see the sleazy manager of the Devil's Casino looming over him...


End file.
